Two hours of competition flew by. Minerva, who drew the third\u00a0<\/p>\n
spot, gave a solid performance and got the highest score of the\u00a0<\/p>\n
night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she stood on the podium, Madeleine finally managed to\u00a0<\/p>\n
force a smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another judge was supposed to present the award to Minerva,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but somehow, it ended up being Leona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stood next to Minerva for a photo, her smiling gaze landing\u00a0<\/p>\n
right on Madeleine in the audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was so obviously intentional.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the competition, Madeleine went backstage with the\u00a0<\/p>\n
flowers she had prepared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations, my little champion~\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva\u2019s face was flushed with excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 233\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine, I think I did really well just now. I remembered all\u00a0<\/p>\n
the key points you told me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw. You did great. I\u2019ll take you out for a big meal later.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s great!\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to eat my heart out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two of them walked out, laughing and talking. Madeleine had just received a message from Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had cleared his afternoon schedule to come back and\u00a0<\/p>\n
celebrate with Madeleine and Minerva, and he was on his way\u00a0<\/p>\n
now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On their way out, Madeleine and Minerva both noticed Leona up\u00a0<\/p>\n
ahead, taking pictures with a contestant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To Minerva, she was one of the judges, after all, so she quickly\u00a0<\/p>\n
told Madeleine she wanted a photo with her too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine put on a smile, hiding all her emotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, I\u2019ll take the picture for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 233\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the contestant in front of them was done, Minerva went\u00a0<\/p>\n
over and politely asked if she could have a photo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe little champion, of course you can.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona smiled, then turned her head to look at Madeleine after\u00a0<\/p>\n
she spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you two are cousins. Madeleine, your cousin is much better\u00a0<\/p>\n
than you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine didn\u2019t meet her gaze, looking down as she took the\u00a0<\/p>\n
camera out of her bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her tone was very flat. \u201cThe student surpasses the master. I\u2019m\u00a0<\/p>\n
happy my sister is better than me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, at least your sister didn\u2019t just run away like a deserter, like\u00a0<\/p>\n
you did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva, who had been holding flowers with a smile on her face,\u00a0<\/p>\n
found her smile vanished after hearing that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t look to see Leona\u2019s expression after she said that,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but focused on her cousin not far away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 233\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her cousin\u2019s face had indeed turned a little pale, Minerva\u00a0<\/p>\n
instinctively took a step away from Leona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She walked over to Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine, you two know each other?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona chuckled. \u201cDidn\u2019t your cousin tell you? Not only do we\u00a0<\/p>\n
know each other, we were respectable rivals in high school.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva\u2019s brow furrowed slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rivals?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had rivals too, on stage, but they weren\u2019t like this off stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her gut told her that her cousin was being bullied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine quickly composed herself. Today was a big, happy\u00a0<\/p>\n
day for Minerva.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t let her own problems ruin the girl\u2019s mood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Mina, go stand next to Leona. We\u2019re taking a\u00a0<\/p>\n
picture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 233\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva walked over, her little face serious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine froze, then snapped out of it when she saw the little\u00a0<\/p>\n
girl\u2019s expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She quickly smiled and told her in a very low voice, \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u00a0<\/p>\n
let\u2019s just take one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel like it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying that, she grabbed Madeleine\u2019s hand, gave Leona a\u00a0<\/p>\n
nod with a dark expression, and walked quickly outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The smile on Leona\u2019s face froze before she had a chance to pull\u00a0<\/p>\n
it back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What does that mean?\u00a0<\/p>\n
What does that kid mean?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking a deep breath, Leona turned her head to look at\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s retreating back, her eyes darkening slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her phone rang, and she answered it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 233\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months. I need to stay in the country for three months\u00a0<\/p>\n
before I go back. Yes, I\u2019m here\u2026 I have some important things\u00a0<\/p>\n
to take care of.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
That little girl Minerva walked so fast that Madeleine could\u00a0<\/p>\n
barely keep up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had been feeling stifled, but seeing Minerva\u2019s reaction, she\u00a0<\/p>\n
couldn\u2019t help but laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two of them had reached the entrance and were standing\u00a0<\/p>\n
on the steps. Minerva turned her head and asked, \u201cMadeleine,\u00a0<\/p>\n
was that person bullying you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes you say that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat she said sounded really uncomfortable, and your face\u00a0<\/p>\n
changed. What right does she have to call you a deserter?!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pressed her lips together, finally managing a bitter\u00a0<\/p>\n
smile after a long moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I haven\u2019t danced these past few years, I guess.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 233\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s your personal choice. What does it have to do with\u00a0<\/p>\n
her? The only person who can condemn you is yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, fuming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI really hated the way she was looking at you just now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapte\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash ` 233 Two hours of competition flew by. Minerva, who drew the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29530\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}